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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. press — to push
  4. track — a song
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. press — a publisher
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. band — a ring
  12. rest — a break
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. track — to keep track
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rest — what's left
  22. band — a music group
  23. rest — what's left
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com